Machine for attaching tags to clothing.



Patented lune 5, |900.

G. N .w M0 0L BC 0 m.. LS .G A F T EG N am S A mn K LA IB W0 .F HE .N GH C A M (Application led Aug. 5, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

H.. Elmo nvenfoi'J MM',

o woyom No. 65|,3|a.. l Patented June 5, 1900.

G. H. wlLKms & LE. LAMBonn. MACHINE FUR ATTCHWG TAGS .T0 CLTHING.

(Application led Aug. 6, 1899.) '(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 65|,3|8. Patented June 5', |900.

G. H. WILKINS & E. E. LAMBORIJ. MACHINE FR TT'ACHING TAGS TUCLTHING..

(Application med Aug. s, M399.)y

mum 'm 992 Z MAMMUMMW .a l v -i l dac., of the clothes.

NITED STATES] PATENT Fino.

GEORGE H.QWILISINS AND ELMER E. LAMBORD, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNORS OF TWO-TI-IIRDS, TO ALBERT L. MERRY AND ARTHUR I.

MERRY, OF SAME PLACE.`

MACHINE-FORATTACHING TAGS To CLOTHING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Bate/ntV No. 651,318, dated June 5, 1900.

A'ppntaion niet August 5, 1899.

To @ZZ whorn/ t 11i/ty concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. WILKINs and ELiv1ERE.LAMBoRD,citizens of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Attaching Tags to Olothin g; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and 'exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in machines for afxing tags to clothing or other merchandise; and it consists in a combination of rolls, cams, and levers which are so adapted to feed a wire and ticket that the same may be placed over the clothing to which the tag is to be attached, cut the same at predetermined lengths, means for forcing the wire through the tag and cloth, and means for clenching the wire, so that the tag may be held firmly on the cloth.

In ready-made clothing, so called, it has been customary in times past to sew upon the cloth tags indicating the size, price, quality, This in most cases has been done by hand, which takes more or less time and labor and naturally increases the cost of manufacture. By our-improved inventionl the tags after being properly marked or printed can be aixed to the clothing very rapidly, thereby economizing a great deal of time.

We have illustrated our invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal verticalsection of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is an end section of the same, taken on line X X of Eig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the plunger, cutting-knife, and holding-block-operating levers. Fig. 5 is a view of the operating-- cams. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the device for clenching the wire. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the guideway used for holding the Wire in position. Fig. 8 is a side view showing the operating mechanism in position.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the rack and pinion for imparting motion to the machine. Fig.

serial No. 726,282. (No model.)

10 is a perspective view of our improved machine, and Fig. 11 is a side elevation showing means of operating roller 11.

Same letters refer to like parts.

In said drawings, A represents a frame of any suitable description. Mounted on said frame are a series of levers B B B2 B3, said levers being pivoted in the frame at any suitable point, as at O. This series of levers is adapted to be given amovement in a vertical direction by means of a series of cams 2 3 4 5, secured rigidly to a shaft 1, running through the frame of the machine. Also mounted on said frame and at each side thereof are two levers E and F, said lever E being pivoted to the frame at a point, as E', and lever F at a point F in the frame. Also mounted on shaft 1 and adapted to engage said levers E andE and give them a vertical motion are cams 6 and 7. At one end of the levers B, B', B2,

j and B3 are coil-springs G, attached at one end to said series of levers and at the other to the frame of the machine in any suitable manner, so as to bring the said levers back to the normal position after they have been lifted by the oscillating cam, to be hereinafter more fully described. Attached to levers E and F and to Athe frame of the machine are springs O and C' to bring them back to their normal position after they have been moved by their respective cams. Mounted on the end of the levers Band 'B3 and connected thereto by moans of ears 14: and pivots 15 is a plunger H, consisting of a top piece I and two side pieces J. These leversB and B3 are both attaohed to the ears, so as to give the plunger its downward movement and at the same time to cause the plunger to travel downward on a level and prevent the same from binding in its guideway on account of one side descending more rapidly than the other.

The sides of said plunger are provided with IOO been cut olf at the required length and bent into a staple by forcing said blank over the anvil W. On one side of the said plunger is provided a cutting=oif knife P, which serves to cut the tickets in the proper length after they have been brought into their required position by the feed-rolls. Attached to lever B2 is a plunger R, provided on its lower extremity with a knife S. The purpose of this knife is to cut the wire olf at the required length. In order to prevent the wire from being bent when the knife descends and from not being cut at the predetermined length, we provide a guideway Q for the wire extending through the frame at a point in close proX- imity to the point where the knife severs the wire. There is also on the opposite side of the frame a guideway Q (shown in Fig. 7) to assist in keeping the wire in the proper position. The blade of this knife is made inclined, so as to give to the wire when cut a tapering point, the purpose of this being to enable the wire after the same has been bent to be lnore easily driven into the ticket and cloth by means of this sharpened point. Adapted to move vertically in the opening K in the top of the plunger is ashaft T,to which is attached in any suitable man ner lever B. To the lower extremityof said shaft is attached a block V, which block is adapted to travel up and down within the plunger and serves to assist in bending the wire; but its especial use is to force the wire into the cloth and ticket. Pivotally mounted on the sides of the frame, at the front thereof, are movable weighted anvils W', so weighted that in their normal position a portion of their bases S eX- tend inside of the frame and in the path of the block as it travels downwardly. Mounted at the top of the frame of the machine and near the back thereof on a suitable shaft 1 are a series of cams. These cams, when said shaft is given a rotary movement, serve to move the levers B B' B2 B3 and give them a vertical motion. The cams are shown in their proper position in Fig. 5 and are numbered 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Cam 4 is placed at a slightly-different angle on its shaft than the other cams. The purpose of this is to so operate the lever B2, which forces the wire-cuttingotf knife downwardly, that said knife will descend somewhat ahead of the other parts of the mechanism and cut the wire off at its required length before the block and plunger approach the wire sufficiently to bend' the same and drive it into the tag and cloth. In order that the wire may be fed in proper length and at the proper time underneath the cuttingoif knife, we provide a series of rolls 9 and 10, the upper one 9 being provided with teeth on one side thereof, over which moves a rack 23. When the machine is put in operation and the cams are thrown out of their normal position-that is, started to rotate-the rack 23 will be drawn rearwardly toward the back of the machine, and consequently give the roller a forward revolution on its axis and drive the wire forlrack and pinion. -rotary motion and the" cams 2 3 4 5 6 7 caused 5to partially revolve, so that each caln liftsits respective lever.

wardly a suliicient distance to form a staple of the required length: There are also mounted in said frame, but in a lower plane than that in which the feed-rolls for the wire are placed, a series of rolls 11 and 12, which serve to feed the strip of cardboard from which the tickets are cut out forward at the proper time and in proper lengths.. Roller 9 is provided with a groove 21, which assists in guiding the wire in its forward course. There is also a spring 22, mounted over said roller, so as to give said roller sufficient friction to drive the wire forward. Said rolls 11 and 12 are rotated by the means of the lever E and pawl 13, which are operated by the cam 7 on shaft 1. The rolls 10 and 12 are idlers and are em-l ployed for the purpose of allowing the wire and paper blanks to be moved forward by their respective feed-rolls 9 and 11 the required distance with as little friction as pos sible. These rolls may be pivotally mounted in the frame in any suitable manner and re volve as the wire or paper blanks are forced over them. Motion is imparted to shaft 1 by means of a rack and pinion 1G, to which is att-ached a stirrup or footdever. Not shown in the drawings.) The lower end 17 of said rack is provided with a spring 18, the object of which is to draw the rack back afterit has been forced down by the foot or other means; but.we do not wish to limit ourselves to this specific form of actuating mechanism, for any of the well-known means used for imparting rotary motion to a shaft may be employed to give the necessary motion to the shaft. In the drawings we have illustrated a device to be operated by foot-power; but we do not wish to limit ourselves to this exact form. It will be seen that the shaft on which the cams are mounted do not make a complete revolution, but simply make a partial revolution toenable the different parts of the machine to perform their necessary functions. In the lower part of the frame of the machine and directly under the plunger and block is a plate 19, provided with beveled grooves 20. This plate is made with a bevel, so that when the block 1 has been forced downwardly by the action of its accompanying lever and a staple has been -driven through the 'card and cloth the ends of the wire will be received within the sockets and bent up, so as to hold the tag securely upon the cloth.

The operation of our improved machineis 4as follows: The article to which the tickets are to be al'lixed is placed beneath the plunger and block and over the beveled plate and below the strip of tickets. The strip of tickets and wire are placed in their proper positions from spools which may or may not be attached to the frame of the machine. The shaft on lwhich the cams are mounted is put in motion by means of a stirru p and its accompanying The shaft then is given a The feed mechanism is IOO' IIO

then set in motion, and the wire and cards are fed by means of their respective feedrolls the required lengths, sufficient motion being imparted to the feed-rolls to drive the wire and the tickets forward the required length before the cams 2 3 4 5 have moved enough on their shaft to operate their respective levers.

From the reason that cam 4t is set forward and somewhat ahead of the other cams it lifts the lever which operates the wire-cutting-off knife first and causes the knife to descend first. As the knife descends it cuts off the wire, giving it the tapering point.l As thelthem down over the movable anvil, forming thereby the wire into a staple, the anvils being so weighted as to allow the plunger to exert sufficient power thereon to bend the wire into its required form and form the staple. As soon as the wire receives the necessary pressure to form the staple, the anvil, by the increased pressure of the plunger which as it descends is sufficient to overcome the resistance of its weighted ends, is forced out of contact with the plunger and the bent wire is brought down and forced through the card and cloth and is pressed into the beveled grooves in the block at the bottom of the machine. The staple by this process is then bent over and the ticket firmly attached to the clothing.

In the drawings herewith accompanying we have illustrated a machine capable ofplacing, making, bending, and afflxin g two staples at the same time; but we do not wish to limit ourselves to this specific form, for sometimes it is necessary to have but one staple to hold the ticket sufficiently to the cloth. In most cases in order to hold the ticket firmly on the clothing two staples are necessary, and for that reason we have shown two series of grooves in the plunger, which must of necessity be fed by two rolls of wire,'yet in some cases where small tags are required one staple is sufficient, so we do not wish to limit ourselves to this exact form. One downward movement of the stirrnp is sufficient to set the machine in motion to cause the feed-rolls to revolve a suficient distance to drive the wire and paper the predetermined distance to cnt wire and force the same into the ticket and clench it. As soon as the pressure is removed from the stirrup the rack returns toits normal position, placing the operating mechanism in position to be moved again by one downward movement of the foot.

Having thus described our invention and its use, we claiml. In a maehinefor fastening tags to merchandise, in combination, a frame, feed-rolls, a plunger having a cutting-knife on one of its sides mounted in said frame, a block capable of a vertical movement within the plunger, a wire-cutting knife having a vertical movement just ahead of the' plunger and parallel therewith, pivoted weighted anvils and means for imparting motion to said plungerblock and knife, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a machine for fastening tags to merchandise, in combination, a frame, a shaft having cams thereon mounted therein, levers mounted in said frame and adapted to be given a vertical movement by said cams, a plunger, block and cutting-knife attached to said levers, pivoted weighted anvils mounted within the path of the block and means for imparting a rotary motion to said shaft, substanl tially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a machine for fastening tags to merchandise, in combination, a frame, a plunger mounted therein and adapted to have a vertical movement, said plunger being provided with a cutting edge on one of its sides and grooves at its bottom, a block moving vertically within said plunger and weighted anvils pivoted in the frame and in the path of the block and means for imparting a vertical movement to said plunger and block, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4t. In a machine for aflixing tags to merchandise, in combination, a frame, a plunger mounted therein and having a cutting edge on one side and grooves on its lower edges, a block adapted to move within said plunger, pivoted weighted anvils within the path of said block and adapted to be forced outwardly and away from said block, a beveled grooved seat adapted to receive the blow fro'm said block, feed-rolls and means forimparting motion to said feed-rolls, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a machine for affixing tags to merchandise, in combination, aframe, feed-rolls, a plunger mounted in said frame, guideways in said frame, said plunger having tongues adapted to move in said guideways, a blanklcutting knife mounted on one side of said plunger, said plunger also being provided with grooves at its lower edges to receive a blank of predetermined length, a wire-cutting knife vhaving a beveled edge moving parallel with said plunger and just ahead of the same, a pivoted weighted anvil adapted to receive the wire blank and of sufficient resistance to allow the same to be bent, a beveled grooved seat adapted to clench said wire, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a machine for aliiXing tags to merchandise, in combination, a frame, a series of feed-rolls mounted in said frame and in different planes, means for operating said feedrolls, a hollow plunger provided with grooves in its lower edges and a blank-cutting knife on one side, a block adapted to move within said plunger, a wire-cutting knife moving parallel with but ahead of said plunger,weighted pivoted anvils mounted in said frame for receiving wire blanks after the same have been eut and of sufficient resistance to cause the IIO IIS

blank to bend and then to be moved out of tures, in presence of tWo witnesses, this 15th the path of the block, a block with beveled day of July, A. D. 1899. Y grooves to receive the bent Wire and clenoh GEORGE HL VILKINS. the same and means forimparting motion to ELMER E. LAMBORD. said plunger, knife and block, substantially Witnesses: n as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signa- NATHAN CLIFFORD, ELGIN O. VERRILL.

ions in Letters Patent No. 651,318.

Correct It is hereby eertied that in Letters Patent No. 651,318, granted June 5, 1900, upon the application of George H. Wilkins and Elmer E. Lambord, of Portland, Maine, for an improvement in Machine for Attaching Tags to Clothing, errors appear requiring correction, as follows: In the grant and in the printed head of the speeication, it is stated that they have assigned two-thirds of their interest to Albert L. Merry and Arthur I. Merry, Whereas it should have been stated that said Wilkins has assigned two-thirds of his right, title, and interest to Albert L. Merry and Arthur I. Merry; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With these corrections therein that the saine may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oftoe.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 26th day of June, A. D., 1900.

F. L. CAMPBELL, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Conntersigned C. H. DUELL,

Commissioner of Patents. 

